This story is part of the chain story "Dry Valley", done in collaboration with RedHairedandFriendly, JusHorny, and other writers here on Lit. I hope that my contribution measures up to their standards.
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Tom felt a little relief when Jessica left, actually. He was tired of pretending to still be interested in her more than Bailey. Maybe it was time or how much maturing affected both of their personalities, but he realized that Jessica was just not for him. She was for his brother instead. Perhaps he had always suspected that, hence his willingness to back off and let Mitch have her.
Now, however, he could relax and accept that he wanted Bailey instead. He couldn't quite put his finger on why he wanted her, he just knew that it was a fact. She was apparently more his type than Jessica. He hoped that she would see it that way too.
When Jessica had first returned, he had been determined to make her his girl. Instead, he now found himself pursuing someone who had been there all along, right under his nose. Life was even weirder than he expected. Why did he have to be so dense as to the obvious? He just wondered what Bailey would feel about his attention toward her. He didn't want her to think that it was a betrayal of Jessica.
"Well, it seems that my date has had to leave me. Care to go back to my place for a drink? I have something to talk to you about," he finally told her.
"Which would be?" she abruptly asked him.
"Something best discussed in private," he replied, deliberately trying to be enigmatic.
"Now, don't try that with me, Thomas Walker. I know you better than that. Are you trying to ask me out on a date?" she teased him.
"What if I was?" he rejoined.
"Then I would have to be fair to you and give you a chance. Hell, this date has practically been our first, hasn't it?" she winked at him.
"Does that mean that I only have to wait 2 more dates to get more intimate?" he taunted and probed at the same time.
"Whomever said that you would have to wait that long? I don't necessarily subscribe to the '3 date rule'. I play it by ear. In fact, if I have to wait that long to know if I want to be with a man, I usually drop him instead. If he doesn't get my attention early, he probably never will. If that means that I get no call after sex, I just realize that I was only right about wanting to fuck him, not to date him. That doesn't make me a slut. Most guys don't even get a first date, after all," she stunned him.
"Is this your clever way of implying that you want to date me?" he probed.
"Tom, don't waste your breath asking that question. You already know that I want you as much as you want me. Frankly, I don't see why, but I'll definitely exploit it. My new hairstyle is not the only reason, is it?" she answered.
"No, not just your hair. It's your whole new approach. You seem braver, as if encouraged by the new hairdo. So, you only want to date men who want to date you then? That makes sense," he grinned.